Chris Lombardi puts defense and security under the spotlight, as he shares his takes on recent NATO and EU cooperation and provides insight into the company’s own long-term strategic partnerships in Europe.

Three trends are currently driving the global electricity sector: decarbonization, decentralization and differentiation. Utilities are making significant contributions to mitigate carbon emissions, while a technology revolution is …

Split over compensation for victims of cartels

Member states are divided over a European Commission proposal to make it easier for victims of cartels to claim compensation. One of the divisive issues is whether claimants can get access to leniency documents held by the Commission and if decisions taken by national competition authorities can bind national judges.

Lithuania, the current holder of the presidency of the Council of Ministers, is expected to ask member states to agree a common position on Tuesday (2 December) at a meeting of the competitiveness council.

The draft legislation is considered particularly sensitive as it would introduce changes to member states’ legal systems.

Joaquín Almunia (pictured), the European commissioner for competition, speaking at the European Parliament on Tuesday (26 November), said he was “disappointed” with MEPs for having delayed their review of the proposal by squabbling over who would be responsible for different sections of the draft legislation.

Almunia may have further cause for disappointment if MEPs adopt amendments proposed by Andreas Schwab, a centre-right German MEP who is leading the Parliament’s response to the proposal. Schwab wants to remove the Commission’s blanket ban preventing claimants from gaining access to incriminating statements submitted to the Commission by members of cartels as part of their applications for leniency.

The Commission is concerned that its leniency programme, which has proved successful in detecting cartels since it was established in 1996, will be significantly less attractive to whistleblowers if leniency documents can be seen by victims. But MEPs from the Socialist and Democrats group and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe offered support for Schwab’s position on the leniency documents.

EU diplomats said that a minority of member states opposed the Commission’s blanket ban and expected the language to be changed.

Members of the Parliament’s committee on legal affairs are expected to vote on the proposal on 21 January 2014, while members of the committee on economic and monetary affairs are expected to vote on 27 January.

? Ministers meeting on Monday (2 December) are expected to agree a common position on a draft directive that would introduce an EU electronic-invoicing standard, which aims to reduce barriers to cross-border public procurement.

On Tuesday (3 December), ministers will discuss nine new public-private partnerships aimed at stimulating growth and jobs as part of the Horizon 2020 research programme.